Allan Wilson High School were crowned champions of the inaugural Better Brands NASH Under-20 Challenge Cup after defeating Rusununguko High School 3-2 on penalties following a goalless draw in regulation time.
The final brought together two of the country's promising schoolboy football sides, with neither team able to find the breakthrough during normal time. Allan Wilson eventually held their nerve in the penalty shootout to claim the inaugural title.
Better Brands chief executive officer Fradrick Kunaka said the tournament was part of the company's efforts to give back to the communities in which it operates while supporting the development of young football talent.
“Because we are benefiting from this community and the various communities, it was also our way of giving back to the community,” Kunaka said.
He said Better Brands also appreciated the opportunities it had received to grow its business and wanted to contribute to national development by partnering with the Government to support emerging football talent.
Kunaka said the tournament would be expanded in future, including opportunities for girls, while expressing his hope that the initiative could eventually reach younger age groups.
“We see this challenge getting bigger and bigger, even going to the lower levels because I think we need to catch them young, even at ECD level,” he said.
Related Stories
He said developing talent through such programmes could contribute to Zimbabwe's long-term ambitions of qualifying for and competing at the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Zimbabwe Football Association president Nqobile Magwizi said the tournament demonstrated the work being done across the country's football structures to strengthen the sport and create clearer pathways for young players.
“This is a testament to the work that's going on in all the various affiliates of ZIFA, where we want to make sure that we strengthen the football culture,” Magwizi said.
He said the association was focused on creating more opportunities for children to play regularly, while establishing tournaments and pathways through which promising players could be identified and developed for national teams.
Magwizi also highlighted the memorandum of understanding signed between ZIFA and the Ministry of Education last year, saying partnerships with organisations such as Better Brands were helping to support initiatives aimed at developing football from the grassroots.
He stressed that sustained investment and systematic development were necessary for Zimbabwe to produce players capable of competing at the highest level.
“It won't just happen overnight to say from nowhere you're already lifting the World Cup or from nowhere you're already lifting the African Cup,” he said.
Leave Comments